In life, we all make mistakes. 

As Catholics, we believe that since we are human, our mistakes are forgiven through the acts of confession and reconciliation. 

However, imagine being an MLB umpire — where your mistakes are broadcast live to hundreds of thousands of passionate baseball fans every single night. It sure sounds like a humbling experience! 

Mark Wegner is a full-time MLB umpire. The devout Catholic has looked to his faith to guide him through a challenging and ever-changing profession. 

Wegner, 51, grew up in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Though that’s hockey country, he immediately gravitated toward baseball. In fact, he loved baseball so much that he wouldn’t let an elbow injury to his right arm stop him from playing. 

Before his sophomore year of high school, he hung up a carpet in his garage and taught himself how to throw left-handed. The next three seasons, he played as an outfielder, and his junior and senior varsity teams won state championships. 

Wegner started college in Minnesota, and at the same time, he began umpiring Little League games — something he really enjoyed. After his first college semester, he attended umpire school and was selected to continue along a track that would lead him to umpiring in the minor leagues. He was just 19 years old. 

“I put college on hold while I pursued that opportunity, and college is still on hold,” Wegner said. 

He spent seven years in the minors before making his MLB umpiring debut in 1998. He said he’s blessed to have enjoyed a 25-year career in the big leagues, which has included umpiring multiple playoff games, two World Baseball Classics, two World Series, and an All-Star Game. 

He’s even been on the field for some milestone moments, including Frank Thomas’ 500th career home run, Randy Johnson’s 300th career win, and a no-hitter thrown by Tim Lincecum. Prior to the 2018 season, he was elevated to crew chief, which he says has been the most fulfilling aspect of his career since he’s able to help other umpires do their best on and off the field. 

“I try to open up my heart to whatever God has planned for me during the season,” Wegner said. “I hope that I can have a positive impact on people.” 

As an umpire, arguments with managers come with the territory. Over the years, Wegner has developed a calm style that has allowed him to stay grounded during these heated exchanges. 

“As I matured more and my faith became more important to me, I started to realize that I wanted to be a good example out there,” he said. “I found that handling things in a calmer way is much more effective. It’s more of the example that I want to be.” 

Given how technology has affected the game in recent years, umpires have had to drastically alter their style. Take the new pitch clock for instance. Instead of getting a breather between pitches, umpires are the ones who must keep a close eye on the clock to determine if a ball or strike should be awarded in either direction. As Wegner said, “it’s like sprinting a marathon.” 

So many plays on a baseball field can go either way. At home, we have the luxury of seeing close calls in super slow motion. For umpires, it’s all about using their best judgment in the moment. 

“The reality is that as a human being — even though we get a lot of them right — it’s tough to get all of those super close ones correct,” Wegner said. “I’m glad that there’s a replay that allows us to correct a lot of those.” 

For 15 years, Wegner has attended daily Mass, including when he’s on the road. He’s able to find Masses on his phone in the neighborhoods surrounding the ballparks, or he attends the Masses at the stadiums themselves. 

“That’s a blessing of our Catholic faith,” he said. “There are Masses everywhere, every day. 

“Receiving the Eucharist daily is part of my routine. That’s where I go for the strength for the day and all the things that I need when I step out onto the field.” 

When he’s home, he prioritizes spending time with his family and doing charitable works at his home parish: Nativity Catholic Church in Brandon, Florida. He also is involved with “BLUE for Kids” outreach through the MLB umpires’ charity organization, UMPS CARE. 

There’s a parallel here between umpiring and the Catholic faith. Sure, we all make mistakes, but we have built-in means to be able to hit the reset button and start fresh. 

“We get a little instant replay when we go to Mass and to confession,” Wegner said. 

No one is perfect — not even the most skilled MLB umpires with the highest level of training. If we accept that we are human, we can feel confident that we are living our lives according to God’s plan.